Method:

Remove turkey giblets and reserve. Rinse the turkey inside and out and dry well.

For the stuffing, combine the breadcrumbs, sausage meat, apple, garlic, almonds, parmesan, chopped herbs, sea salt and black pepper. Stir in the eggs and half of the butter and bind together well.

Grease a loaf tin and line the bottom of it with baking parchment paper. Loosely place some of the stuffing into the loaf tin, press down a little, then cover and place in fridge until ready to cook. Take the apples and cut the top off, 1/3 of the way from the top. Remove the core, and fill each apple with the remaining stuffing and replace the lid. Brush well with rapeseed oil or melted butter and place in the fridge.

Place two tablespoons of the stuffing into the small cavity (neck end) of the turkey, pull excess skin over stuffing and secure to underside of turkey with a wooden skewer. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan; fill the large cavity with lemon and thyme sprigs. Brush the turkey generously with rapeseed oil and season with sea salt and black pepper and cover with foil.

To make the turkey stock, place the turkey giblets, chopped onion, carrot, celery and bay leaf in a heavy based saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 2 hours, then strain. Cool and store in the fridge until needed, this can be done the night before.

Place the prepared turkey in the pre-heated oven and cook at this temperature for the first 30 minutes. Then, lower the oven temperature to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 and cook for approximately 30 minutes per kilo, basting every hour.

Meanwhile cook the stuffing in the loaf tin for 40 – 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Approximately 35 minutes before the end of cooking, remove the foil, drain off any of the excess fat and place the stuffed apples around the turkey and cook for a further 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Transfer the turkey to a platter, placing the apples around it, cover loosely with foil and leave to rest for 20 – 30 minutes.

For the marsala gravy, place the roasting pan over a medium heat, sprinkle over the flour, then gradually stir in the marsala, followed by the turkey stock and bring to the boil. Strain the mixture through a sieve into a saucepan. Add the redcurrant jelly and any juices that have collected on the platter. Stir over a medium heat until the mixture boils; simmer for 10 minutes and season with sea salt and black pepper.